TALLAHASSEE - Greg Larson got the nod to start over Justin Poovey and Patrick Keating, and he proved he deserved it.
In his 4 1/3 innings of work, Larson gave up just one hit and no runs to offensive powerhouse FSU on Tuesday night.
The UF offense gave him and the bullpen plenty of support with 5 runs in the first inning, leading the Gators (24-12) to a 10-2 win against the Seminoles (21-12) at Dick Howser Stadium and claiming the series 2-1 for UF.
"It's not too difficult to pitch with a 5-run lead in the first," Larson said. "I just tried not to do too much and just stay within myself."
Larson's quality outing Tuesday night was his first start of the season.
The freshman's first 15 appearances came in relief, and two of them were in the first two matchups against FSU, when he gave up no runs in 2 1/3 innings.
He carried the lessons he learned in those outings into his start Tuesday.
"I threw against most of the guys before, so I kind of knew what their strengths and weaknesses were," Larson said.
Tony Davis and Billy Bullock finished off what Larson started on the mound. Their only hitch came in the seventh inning, when Davis allowed a triple off the wall by Mike McGee followed by a homer to right-center field by Tommy Oravetz.
The relievers combined to allow just 2 runs and five hits in their 4 2/3 innings. Bullock punched out four hitters in two innings.
The two reliable bullpen arms for UF were well-rested for the rivalry game, having only made two appearances each in the previous five games.
"I told them they both pitched one inning apiece for us this weekend, so they should have been fresh, and we were going to stretch them to two or three innings apiece," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said.
"That was the plan going in. I hate to say that it worked out exactly how we wanted to, but that's pretty much the way it went."
While the Seminoles offense entered with a reputation as a high-scoring unit, the Gators' bats were on display.
The Gators jumped on top with 5 runs in the first inning, three coming off the bat of Avery Barnes, who sent a shot over the right-field fence and finished 4-for-5 hitting with three RBIs and 2 runs.
UF drove in its other 5 runs over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
The scoring was highlighted by 2-run homers by Josh Adams and Teddy Foster, who accidentally left his No. 50 jersey in Gainesville and wore No. 47 instead.
The double-digit scoring night was just the latest in a recent trend for the once-stagnant Gators offense.
They have plated at least 10 runners in four of their last six games, including a 24-run performance on Saturday at Auburn, and are hitting .341 as a team in that span - compared to the season total of .301.
"I feel really good about our lineup, and it's not just the guys at the top, but we are getting contribution from everybody, top to bottom," O'Sullivan said.
